On Loving by Lili Naghdi - Book Tour + Giveaway
On Loving
by Lili Naghdi
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GENRE: Romance
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BLURB:
In 1972, Dr. Rose Hemmings has just finished her general surgery residency when a haunted stranger
is shot in front of her in a New York City bar, and their lives become forever intertwined.
And when, having been given the blessing of her adoptive father on his deathbed,
Rose travels to prerevolutionary Iran to discover the past her American family kept secret from her,
she finds a true Pandora's box. It is a world both foreign and familiar, in which her primary place is
as the heiress to a great tribe. In Iran, Rose will find family she never dreamed of, her own people,
and a man who loves her as passionately as he does the rare black roses of his garden.
She will return to the United States carrying a new secret and torn between two men:
the one she loves helplessly, and the one who loves her unconditionally.
is shot in front of her in a New York City bar, and their lives become forever intertwined.
And when, having been given the blessing of her adoptive father on his deathbed,
Rose travels to prerevolutionary Iran to discover the past her American family kept secret from her,
she finds a true Pandora's box. It is a world both foreign and familiar, in which her primary place is
as the heiress to a great tribe. In Iran, Rose will find family she never dreamed of, her own people,
and a man who loves her as passionately as he does the rare black roses of his garden.
She will return to the United States carrying a new secret and torn between two men:
the one she loves helplessly, and the one who loves her unconditionally.
Woven throughout with Persian poetry ancient and modern, On Loving is the story of one woman's
lifetime of love and loss, of societal change in a nomadic people, and of overcoming personal
challenges, including mental and physical health, to find true contentment.
Above all, it is a story of love: its physiology, psychology and philosophy; the many forms it takes;
its myths and truths; its challenges, its joys and its gifts.
lifetime of love and loss, of societal change in a nomadic people, and of overcoming personal
challenges, including mental and physical health, to find true contentment.
Above all, it is a story of love: its physiology, psychology and philosophy; the many forms it takes;
its myths and truths; its challenges, its joys and its gifts.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
It was a beautiful late spring afternoon in Paris, and I decided to stroll down the streets of this lovely
city as much as I could, to calm my nerves after that emotional talk.
city as much as I could, to calm my nerves after that emotional talk.
Walking at a slow pace, through the charming cobbled passages and tree-lined avenues of the
mesmerizing City of Love, I easily found my way to the Café de la Rotonde, my favorite café to spend
time in whenever I’m in Paris. I love being in bustling Montparnasse, where Hemingway, Fitzgerald,
Picasso and many others took their coffee breaks many years ago. Sitting there, I always feel that I
can hear their voices or even smell in the air the tobacco they smoked. Being a huge fan of literature
and art since childhood, being in that environment for even a few minutes often led me to think how
it might feel to create a masterwork or to write something as captivating as they once did.
mesmerizing City of Love, I easily found my way to the Café de la Rotonde, my favorite café to spend
time in whenever I’m in Paris. I love being in bustling Montparnasse, where Hemingway, Fitzgerald,
Picasso and many others took their coffee breaks many years ago. Sitting there, I always feel that I
can hear their voices or even smell in the air the tobacco they smoked. Being a huge fan of literature
and art since childhood, being in that environment for even a few minutes often led me to think how
it might feel to create a masterwork or to write something as captivating as they once did.
I was about to sip my coffee when a young woman sitting at the table close to mine suddenly left in
a rush, forgetting her newspaper and cellphone.
a rush, forgetting her newspaper and cellphone.
“Excusez-moi, madame?” I took the newspaper and phone and followed her,
hoping to catch up before she completely disappeared in the crowd, but it was too late.
hoping to catch up before she completely disappeared in the crowd, but it was too late.
Back at my seat and handed the phone to the waiter while glancing at the newspaper’s front page:
Des millions de la Reine Soraya Esfandiari-Bakhtiari iront à la charité
“Queen Soraya Esfandiari-Bakhtiari’s millions go to charity”
I quickly asked the waiter to let me keep the paper.
I sat on my chair, staring at the title again. I felt as if I had stumbled on a familiar face,
as if I knew her intimately. I touched her photo: her beautiful eyes, her lovely smile.
Everything about her was unique, even thirteen years after her death in Paris in 2001.
as if I knew her intimately. I touched her photo: her beautiful eyes, her lovely smile.
Everything about her was unique, even thirteen years after her death in Paris in 2001.
Then, shaking inside, I read the report.
Princess Soraya Esfandiari-Bakhtiari, born in the city of Isfahan in 1932 to an Iranian father from the
well-known Bakhtiari family and his German wife, had died childless back in 2001.
But now a court in Germany had ruled that because her brother, who lived there,
had died before settlement was finished, her entire $6 million estate should be divided among
the three charities she’d chosen — the Red Cross, a group that worked for animal protection
and a disabled rights group. The article talked about her time as queen, her beauty,
her stunning emerald eyes and how she’d be known as the “Princess with the sad eyes”
after the last king of Iran, Mohammad-Reza Pahlavi, divorced her in 1958 for not producing an heir.
Yet much of her wealth had come from jewellery he had gifted her; he loved her deeply.
well-known Bakhtiari family and his German wife, had died childless back in 2001.
But now a court in Germany had ruled that because her brother, who lived there,
had died before settlement was finished, her entire $6 million estate should be divided among
the three charities she’d chosen — the Red Cross, a group that worked for animal protection
and a disabled rights group. The article talked about her time as queen, her beauty,
her stunning emerald eyes and how she’d be known as the “Princess with the sad eyes”
after the last king of Iran, Mohammad-Reza Pahlavi, divorced her in 1958 for not producing an heir.
Yet much of her wealth had come from jewellery he had gifted her; he loved her deeply.
Wait a second!
I quickly wiped the tears that ran down my face, trying to stay calm.
But it wasn’t the deceased former queen I was mourning. It was my own past, surging up from
beneath the dust that had covered it for years, that made me so emotional.
The former queen’s distinctive name and her story reminded me painfully of the love I had shared
in my heart for many years, the love that had changed my destiny in so many ways.
But it wasn’t the deceased former queen I was mourning. It was my own past, surging up from
beneath the dust that had covered it for years, that made me so emotional.
The former queen’s distinctive name and her story reminded me painfully of the love I had shared
in my heart for many years, the love that had changed my destiny in so many ways.
Drenched in cold sweat, I rested my forehead on the newspaper, feeling the hard table beneath it.
Life is so mystifying. After all these years … The gracious Queen Soraya … my distant relative!
We shared genes, ancestors … I know … I know well the very place she was born in,
I’ve been there — Isfahan, the ancient city of Isfahan, City of Roses … city of my own beautiful black
roses!
We shared genes, ancestors … I know … I know well the very place she was born in,
I’ve been there — Isfahan, the ancient city of Isfahan, City of Roses … city of my own beautiful black
roses!
I felt like I was choking and struggled to breathe. I needed fresh air. I put money on the table and
rushed out of the café.
rushed out of the café.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Lili Naghdi is an Iranian Canadian physician who was born and raised in Tehran.
She continued her education and research after moving to Canada with her husband and daughter
in 1996. Today she practices family medicine in Vaughan, Ontario, with particular interests in women’s
and mental health. Being a family physician gives her the privilege of connecting with patients and
participating in their care with a deeper understanding of the physical, emotional and social adversities
they face. Interacting with people of many different backgrounds has also provided Dr. Naghdi with the
opportunity to grow as a person, a physician and an author.
She continued her education and research after moving to Canada with her husband and daughter
in 1996. Today she practices family medicine in Vaughan, Ontario, with particular interests in women’s
and mental health. Being a family physician gives her the privilege of connecting with patients and
participating in their care with a deeper understanding of the physical, emotional and social adversities
they face. Interacting with people of many different backgrounds has also provided Dr. Naghdi with the
opportunity to grow as a person, a physician and an author.
Growing up in pre- and post-revolutionary Iran, Lili became fascinated by the magical realm
of literature, poetry and history. She began collecting prized quotations at the young age of eight.
Dr. Naghdi has written poetry and short stories in both Farsi and English,
but she eventually followed William Wordsworth’s advice to “Fill your paper with the breathings
of your heart,” and turned to fiction.
of literature, poetry and history. She began collecting prized quotations at the young age of eight.
Dr. Naghdi has written poetry and short stories in both Farsi and English,
but she eventually followed William Wordsworth’s advice to “Fill your paper with the breathings
of your heart,” and turned to fiction.
On Loving is her first novel. Inspired by both the ordinary people she has the honor to support
and by the great literature of Persia and the world — from Hafez to Forugh Farrokhzad and from
John Steinbeck to Margaret Mitchell — Dr. Naghdi passionately agrees with Boris Pasternak,
whose Yuri Zhivago is a physician and patriotic poet, when he writes:
“Literature is the art of discovering something extraordinary about ordinary people and saying with
ordinary words something extraordinary.”
and by the great literature of Persia and the world — from Hafez to Forugh Farrokhzad and from
John Steinbeck to Margaret Mitchell — Dr. Naghdi passionately agrees with Boris Pasternak,
whose Yuri Zhivago is a physician and patriotic poet, when he writes:
“Literature is the art of discovering something extraordinary about ordinary people and saying with
ordinary words something extraordinary.”
Website: www.lilinaghdi.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naghdil/
Amazon author page URL:
Barnes and Noble Author URL:
Videos of her book launch:
Buy Links
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION
Lili Naghdi will be awarding a $50 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner
via rafflecopter during the tour.
via rafflecopter during the tour.
15 Comments
Hello Everyone,
ReplyDeleteIt is so great joining you on another stop of my virtual tour. I’d like to thank our host and Goddess Fish Promotions for giving me this opportunity.
As you may find out from the blurb, “On Loving” is not only a love story but more importantly, it is a story about love itself, its physiology and philosophy, the many forms it takes, its myths and truths, its challenges, its joys, and its gifts.
I would like to ask everyone this question, and I’d appreciate everyone’s participation:
How do you define “LOVE” in your own words and based on your own experiences?
“On Loving” is the story of one woman’s lifetime of love and loss, and the true meaning of love, and this “true meaning” could be different for different people.
Thank you for your participation and good luck in the giveaway!
Best,
Lili Naghdi
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome!
DeleteIt has been great hearing about your book and although I am not the reader myself, my 2 sisters and 2 daughters are. They love hearing about the genre's they like and me helping them get to find books they will enjoy. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThank you for following the tour. You never know, you may be surprised someday to find yourself an avid reader! Good luck in the draw!
DeleteSounds like a book I will enjoy reading.
ReplyDeleteThanks for following the tour.
DeleteI'll definitely be checking this one out!
ReplyDeleteThank you for participating. Good luck in the draw!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds really good, thank you for sharing
ReplyDeleteThanks for joining us. Good luck in the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI'd like to thank you all for your participation and wish you luck in the giveaways.
ReplyDeleteAlso, many thanks to our host and Goddess Fish promotions for arranging the tour.
You're very welcome! :)
DeleteCongrats on the release. I hope that your book is a success,
ReplyDeleteDid you go to school to become a writer?
ReplyDeletePlease try not to spam posts with the same comments over and over again. Authors like seeing thoughtful comments about their books, not the same old, "I like the cover" or "sounds good" comments. While that is nice, putting some real thought and effort in is appreciated. Thank you.